Lungs · airways anatomy in 3D
The lungs are the breathing organs on either side of the chest. Air passes down the trachea, splits into the bronchi and travels deep into the lungs, where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged. The right lung has three lobes, the left two. The trachea usually divides into the left and right main bronchi at about the level between the fourth and fifth thoracic vertebrae. The right lung is wider and shorter than the left, and the front edge of the left lung has a cardiac notch where the heart sits. Each lung is wrapped in two layers of pleura, parietal and visceral.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the lungs?
The lungs are the breathing organs on either side of the chest.
What do the lungs do?
Air passes down the trachea, splits into the bronchi and travels deep into the lungs, where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged. The right lung has three lobes, the left two.
Which body system do the lungs belong to?
The lungs belong to the respiratory system. The respiratory system is the airway that starts at the nose and mouth and runs through the pharynx, larynx and trachea into the bronchi and lungs.
Which lung is bigger, the right or the left?
The right lung is larger and wider. The left lung has a cardiac notch in its front edge because the heart lies towards the left, and it has only two lobes.
Parts of the lungs
- Trachea: The airway from the neck into the chest. It divides into the left and right bronchi.
- Right upper lobe: The bronchial branches carrying air to the top of the right lung.
- Right middle lobe: Branches to the middle lobe, which only the right lung has.
- Right lower lobe: The bronchial branches to the bottom of the right lung.
- Left upper lobe: Branches to the top of the left lung, which has only two lobes to make room for the heart.
- Left lower lobe: The bronchial branches to the bottom of the left lung.
Other organs
Compare with neighbouring organs
By body system
By region
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Related reading
- Hyperbaric oxygen: how pressure dissolves oxygen
- Hydrogen inhalation: research on the smallest molecule
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